


call and response

by spirithouse



Category: GOT7, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Creepy, Gen, M/M, One Shot, brief mentions of past crimes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-06
Updated: 2017-10-06
Packaged: 2018-12-30 06:20:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12102633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spirithouse/pseuds/spirithouse
Summary: The two-story home has never been occupied since Yugyeom and Jeongguk were born. From what they knew, it didn’t have a name. The street it was on was called Arlington, but that didn’t sound spooky enough for a kid like Jeongguk. While the home was currently abandoned, it did use to have owners. Enough for it to have stories, but Yugyeom doubted any of them were true.





	call and response

“We could go to jail for trespassing. Or yelled at.”

“No one’s yells are more scarier than your mom’s, so I’m not very afraid.”

Honestly, the house didn’t look any scarier at night than it did during the day, not to Jeongguk at least. The wild glint in his eyes shone brighter than the full moon and the dying streetlamps scattered on the block.

Yugyeom huffed and loosened the draw strings on his hoodie. What began as a chilly night became warmer as he and Jeongguk trudged slowly up the desolated road, living behind them nice, occupied homes. The only thing around them now were stray cats and an abandoned house on a dead end street. 

“And besides,” Jeongguk continued, ignoring how nonchalant Yugyeom was trying to make his annoyance, “the nearest house is far from here. No one’s gonna see anything, and no one cares enough to patrol this area.”  The bent over and faded  _ Neighborhood Watch  _ sign explained enough.

The two-story home has never been occupied since Yugyeom and Jeongguk were born. From what they knew, it didn’t have a name. The street it was on was called Arlington, but that didn’t sound spooky enough for a kid like Jeongguk. While the home was currently abandoned, it did use to have owners. Enough for it to have stories, but Yugyeom doubted any of them were true.

A chaebol family in the ‘70s used to live in it, until the man offed his family one night and then himself. A few years later, a single mother bought it, and then her child mysteriously disappeared after complaining of weird dreams and mean imaginary friends. The child was never found, and the mother, who many thought murdered and disposed of her child, passed away from an “ _ unknown illness. _ ” Soon after, a foreign family moved in. The son disappeared as well, and then a few weeks later his mangled body appeared on the house’s roof. His family moved out the next week. No murderer was ever pinpointed. 

The home was condemned but never knocked down by the city. It was claimed by a few enthusiasts to be cursed. Now it was a cool internet story and adventure spot for maniacs like Jeongguk.

Yugyeom didn’t like breaking the law. Or breaking into wasted homes that made him feel wrong, like he did something he wasn’t supposed to do. 

Like being talked into breaking and entering by Jeongguk with just a few cheap convenience store snacks. 

“I just wanna check it out,” Jeongguk said, flushed, gently knocking his shoulder into Yugyeom’s, and his hand brushing against his. Jeongguk went from haughty to the oversized, dorky baby he was. It was a reminder of the giantantic infatuation Yugyeom had on him. 

“We’ll check it out, take a couple of pics, and then leave,” he said. “I swear.” Jeongguk was charming him. Yugyeom knew because he used the same type of charm on older women and babies all the time. 

Still, he said, “All right. Make it quick.” 

The front door took some strength but gave in without too much of a mess. Yugyeom squawked at the spider webs engulfing his head, swatting at Jeongguk’s direction in his attempt to get rid of them. 

“Chill out,” Jeongguk scolded, fiddling with his phone until he could press the flashlight symbol on it. The bright light showed dusty walls and broken pieces of furniture littered about. There was even a dirty blanket and crushed pop cans and beer bottles, either from partying people or vagabonds. Unintelligent graffiti adorned the walls, along with one  _ GET OUT  _ scrawled above the fireplace for bonus creepy points. In a way, it reminded Jeongguk of his brother’s dorm room on a bad week. 

Jeongguk flashed the light near Yugyeom, laughter escaping him. “Isn’t this cool?”

“You must have had a really boring childhood,” Yugyeom commented before sneezing. “I feel like the ceiling might cave in on us. Or the floor will give out and we’ll fall to our deaths, forever stuck in the basement.” 

The other boy paid him no mind, already advancing toward the stairwell. The windows rattled behind Yugyeom and he jumped, running to catch up with Jeongguk. As they climbed up, a framed photo caught Jeongguk’s attention. The dust was caked on but he could see a woman crouched down, hugging a young boy. A sharp iciness crossed his neck and he blamed it on Yugyeom’s close proximity breathing down his neck.

The hallway was short with only four  doors, three of them opened. The first one to their right was a small bathroom. The flashlight reflected back on the broken mirror pieces, and picked up on the black sludge staining the bathtub floor. Jeongguk switched his phone to the camera and snapped a picture. “This place is smaller on the inside than it looks outside. I think we’ll be done sooner than I thought.” 

He grinned over at Yugyeom and he returned it with a smaller one, eyes glancing over everything. “Yeah,” Yugyeom sighed. “Sorry, it just feels weird.” 

“You’re freaking yourself out too much.” They crossed over into the next room. A dirty mattress hung off of a bedframe, and a small, furry creature dashed behind it when Jeongguk flashed his light at it.

“Watch out for the rat,” he snickered, but Yugyeom was analyzing the walls thoroughly. It was a pale blue with small airplanes and clouds painted along the border. He scanned over a closet with its door missing, and saw laid inside a matted teddy bear with both its eyes missing. 

“Honestly, I was hoping for blood,” Jeongguk said, taking a photo. He then took another photo looking out the window and capturing the moon, now half hidden by smoggy clouds. “But yeah, it does feel a little off? Maybe it’s just disappointment I’m feeling. I guess I was expecting  _ something  _ to happen or for us to find . . . Yugyeomie? Are you listening?” 

The feeling was quick, a nauseating dread sitting in Jeongguk’s stomach that told him Yugyeom wouldn’t be there when he turned around. 

He hated that it was right. 

“Yugyeom?” He glanced around once more before treading out into the hallway. “Yugyeom, hey, where are you?”  Jeongguk wasn’t scared, a little concerned maybe, but mostly annoyed that Yugyeom walked out without saying anything, without Jeongguk noticing him leaving. 

He stood in the empty hallway with only his shaky breathing for noise. He hadn’t noticed how much he was sweating until the cold moisture made his shirt stick uncomfortably to his skin. Jeongguk brushed off the discomfort and crept into the next opened room.  

The only thing in the room was a fallen chair and an empty desk. He took a photo of the entire room before searching the desk. It reminded him of his dad’s study room back home, how it was always locked up, and younger Jeongguk would be threatened with punishment if he tried to break in and mess up his dad’s work. 

Someone had spray painted words onto the desk as well. A large, black  _ THEY’RE GONE  _ stared back at Jeongguk. He tilted his head, scoffed, and then took a photo. 

“Yugyeomie,” he called again, louder. “Dude, seriously.” At that point, his interest in the house began to wane, having found nothing very creepy outside of the graffiti work. He had one more room to check out, and then the basement if he still felt like it. “I swear, if you’re trying to scare me. . .”

The last room had its door closed, and when Jeongguk went to turn the knob, it was locked. He twisted it tightly and jostled the door, tried to make it budge, but it wouldn’t give. Would it be worth trying to kick it down? He didn’t want to do a lot of work just to explore the place. 

“Whatever, I’m bored.” He turned around and pulled up Yugyeom’s number on his phone, watched it ring for a few seconds before bringing it up to his ear. Eventually it picked up and Jeongguk sighed loudly. 

“Where’d you go? Are you even still here? We can leave now, I’m getting tired and---Yugyeom? Hello? Can you hear me?” Light static filtered through but not a word was said. “The reception’s bad or something. If you can hear me, meet me at the front door so we can leave.” 

Jeongguk took one step before the door behind him unlocked, and the frame creaked as the door drifted opened. Cold air fell over him and his spine stiffened at the sharp sensation prickling down his bones. He swallowed dryly and wondered if he should turn around or keep walking. 

The static in his phone rose, and Yugyeom’s voice, distant but still present, said, “Come here.”

Jeongguk lowered his phone, and looked behind him. 

Yugyeom, hands in his pockets and expression neutral, brushed past Jeongguk as he walked out of the room. “Ready?” Yugyeom stopped at the top of the staircase, peeking over his shoulder. 

“I--” Jeongguk gazed at him for a second before glancing back at the room. Solid, soundless darkness stared at him, and the needle-like feeling inside Jeongguk increased until he chose to ignore the need to investigate. He quickly went over to Yugyeom.

It still felt like someone was trying to burn their vision into Jeongguk’s back. 

“Hey, why did you run off? I didn’t even hear you go anywhere,” Jeongguk said as they descended the stairs. “I thought you’d be too scared to explore by yourself. See anything in there?”

“Nah.” Yugyeom opened the front door and let Jeongguk out first. “Just empty and trashy like the others.” 

His friend turned around, full out smiling as they took to the streets. The moon had found its way from behind the clouds and lit their pathway back home. “See, told ya it wouldn’t be bad. We were out in no time, and I got some good pics, see . . .”

He pulled up his phone and noticed he was still on a phone call with Yugyeom. The other boy’s hands were now out of his pockets, but he was staring off into the distance, face still blank.

Jeongguk hummed, kept his attention on Yugyeom,  and brought the phone back up to his ear. “. . . Hello?”

Someone on the other line breathed in, and then, “I wish you would’ve listened to me.” 

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> i was playing around with this and i'm not quite sure how i feel about it still. let me know what you think! 
> 
> ♥ [tumblr](http://handsome-gretel.tumblr.com)  
> ♥ [twitter](http://twitter.com/popxtune)  
> ♥ [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/aubade)  
> 


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